Olympus Mons is an extinct shield volcano on Mars. It's about 21.9 km (13.6 mi) high. It's so tall that one could see it on one side of Mars. It is so tall that it couldn't even fit in the Mariana Trench. It was discovered by Mariner 9 and was measured by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. It is the largest and tallest volcano and mountain in the solar system. The reason for its extraordinary height is most likely Mars' low gravity. The volcano used to erupt basaltic lava.
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Olympus Mons as seen from Viking 1
Comparison between the size of France and Olympus Mons
| Geology of Mars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regions | Cerberus (Mars) • Cydonia (Mars) • Vastitas Borealis | |
| Terrae | Arabia Terra • Tempe Terra • Terra Cimmeria • Terra Sabaea | |
| Chaos | Iani Chaos | |
| Plains | Planum Australe • Planum Boreum | |
| Mountains | Olympus Mons | |
| Valles | Valles Marineris | |
| Undae | Tharsis Undae • Olympia Undae | |
| Other | Eridania Lake | |
| Albedo Regions | Sinus Meridiani | |
| Craters | Gale • Jezero | |